So-called local area networks (LANs) have been proliferating to facilitate communication since the 1970s. Certain LANs (e.g., those operating in accordance with IEEE 802.3) have provided enhanced electronic communication through wired media for decades. Since the late 1990s, LANs have expanded into wireless media so that networks may be established without necessitating wire connections between or among various network elements. Such LANs may operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11 (e.g., 802.11(a), (b), (e), (g), etc.) or other wireless network standards.
Although standard LAN protocols, such as Ethernet, may operate at fairly high speeds with inexpensive connection hardware and may bring digital networking to almost any computer, wireless LANs can often achieve the same results more quickly, more easily, and/or at a lower cost. Furthermore, wireless LANs provide increased mobility, flexibility, and spontaneity when setting up a network for two or more devices. However, wireless networks present new and different security issues due to their ability to be accessed without physical wires and due to the general openness of wireless media. For example, wireless LANs are subject to so-called man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.
In wireless communication generally, signals are sent from a transmitter to a receiver in the form of packets (e.g., for digital wireless communications). A packet that is traveling from a transmitter to a receiver is vulnerable to interception by a MITM. When packets are intercepted, the MITM can maliciously interfere with the wireless communication to the detriment of the transmitter and/or receiver.
Accordingly, there is a need for schemes and/or techniques to detect and/or counter MITM attacks.